A car-free downhill cobbled street just behind Hagia Sophia, with renovated (or totally re-built) traditional wooden houses two- or three-storeys tall typical of Ottoman era, leaning against the outer wall of Topkapi Palace grounds/Gülhane Park. Worth a look to see what typical streetscape of Istanbul was like before the concrete came over. While around there, don't forget to check out Fountain of Sultan Ahmed III, at the square in front of the outer gate of Topkapi Palace, a huge standalone fountain building built in typical Ottoman rococo style in 1728.

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About Soğukçeşme Street

Istanbul, Turkey

Soğukçeşme Street and Nearby Sights on Map

Hagia Irene, which you will notice to your left after entering the outer yard of Topkapi Palace, is one of few Byzantine-era cathedrals which was never converted to a mosque (though not used for religious purposes either during the Ottoman period), although access to the interior is not allowed unless you have a ticket to the classical music concerts sometimes taking place inside the building

While this partially intact marble pillar dating back to 4th century AD may seem unremarkable, it was the starting point of any distance measured within the empire during the Byzantine era, so it may be nice to think that you are in the centre of where all the roads lead to (or, rather, start from)